Kurt Rambis interviews with Lakers for head-coaching job

Laker assistant coach Kurt Rambis interviewed with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss on Tuesday regarding their vacant head coaching position, according to a league source familiar with the discussions.

The Lakers have interviewed other candidates with past ties to the Lakers, including Mike Dunleavy and Byron Scott. The Lakers will also interview other veteran candidates, including Alvin Gentry on Wednesday and Lionel Hollins on Thursday, according to league sources. The Cleveland Cavaliers will also interview Gentry on Friday and Hollins sometime next week.

Rambis would be a familiar presence if the Lakers hired him. He won four NBA championships during the Showtime Era. Rambis spent seven seasons as an assistant under Jackson and this past season under Mike D’Antoni, who resigned last month. He held several front-office positions, while his wife, Linda, has also worked as the Lakers’ manager for special projects.

Rambis’ head-coaching stints includes two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves and serving as the Lakers’ interim coach in 1999 after Del Harris was fired. Rambis, who has liked Jackson’s triangle system, would likely run a more traditional half-court offense instead of D’Antoni’s small-ball system.